World Bank approves $108 million loan to Assam to improve disaster preparedness and flood forecasting

The Eecutive Board of Directors of the World Bank has approved a $108 million loan to improve disaster preparedness and enhance flood forecasting in Assam, a state which faces serious floods almost every year.

The project will benefit around six million people and is part of a larger $500 million investment programme for Assam, the bank said in a statement.

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The Assam Integrated River Basin Management Project will help the state reduce vulnerability to floods and river erosion by building green infrastructure in the Beki and Buridehing river basins, protecting around 100,000 people. The Project will also help strengthen the state’s response to disasters through improved flood forecasting and accurate early warning systems, including through mobile alerts. The Project will provide safer evacuation and shelter facilities including access to climate-resilient flood shelters to at least 10,000 people, the World Bank said in a statement. The project will also help government agencies to respond faster during crises with upgraded state and district emergency operational centers, it further said.

"The 2022 floods adversely impacted millions of people in Assam. The project will build on Assam' disaster risk management approach thus contributing to climate resilient growth while protecting lives and properties for the people," said Auguste Tano Kouame, World Bank country director in India.

The $108 million loan from the International Bank of Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has a maturity of 11.5 years and a grace period of four years.

The Project will support Assam tackle the immediate challenges of floods and erosion while also helping manage its complex river systems. The Brahmaputra River system is the economic lifeline of Assam, and a critical part of the state’s rich natural resources and cultural heritage. But flooding, riverbank erosion, sedimentation and loss of biodiversity have significant economic and environmental impacts on the state, leading to loss of livelihoods for its people. The government of Assam has projected an increase in extreme rainfall events by five to 35 percent and an increase in the rise of flood events by more than 25 percent due to climate change, said the statement.

The project will contribute to designing climate resilient villages and develop flood shelters that provide sufficient space for community members and livestock," the World Bank further said.